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Music Programs of Epiphany Lutheran Church
TAKE NOTE……………. Through the Lens (By Vernene Rodgers Lenz, Music Director) All four Gospels end on an unfinished NOTE. (No pun intended!) Jesus is raised from the dead; the women discover the empty tomb; amazement is expressed; and then they are told to spread the news or simply run and do so naturally! (See John 20: 17-18.) The Gospel of Matthew ends with the risen Christ commanding his followers to “Go therefore and make disciples” (Matthew 28: 19-20). Luke ends with the command that “Beginning from Jerusalem, You are witnesses…” (Luke 24: 47-48). Acts opens with a similar command and tells the story of the first disciples in the Early Church. The Gospel story is unfinished because WE have part of that story to tell. It is our job to share the Easter message with others. It is our mandate to share the Resurrection message of hope with those who so desperately need to hear it! So as the CHOIR and other church musicians travel through the Easter season, we will have tried to focus upon the thoughts from the Acts of the Apostles and the story it tells of the spreading of the Good News. Hence, on Easter Sunday, the choir sang the words, “GO QUICKLY AND TELL HIS DISCIPLES, ‘He is risen! He’s risen from the dead!’ ”, accompanied by Bell Ringer, Carol Thomas. Guest soloist, Nyempu Nyomo (JHU Peabody, M.A. and Metropolitan Opera guest) sang Handel’s “I Know that My Redeemer Liveth”. The musical voices were spreading the Good News. The Second Sunday of Easter, the choir sang (a capella) out the Easter message with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “ALLELUIA” and “DONA NOBIS PACEM”. On the Third Sunday, accompanied by orchestral arrangement, the voices sang, “I LOVE YOU LORD!”, just as Christ’s disciples and followers had sung or spoken. For the Fourth Sunday of Easter the choir returned to the European tradition in the choir loft. All organ and choral music reflected the 23rd Psalm, the theme for the liturgy and hymnody throughout the day. “MY SHEPHERD WILL SUPPLY MY NEED,” a paraphrase of Psalm 23 written by Isaac Watts, 1719, and sung to a Melody from Southern Harmony, 1835, to the Setting by Lutheran’s American composer Carl Schalk, resonated from the choir loft, as Suzy Pfaar lent her right hand to the chimes since the organist did not have enough hands to play the accompaniment as desired. George F. Handel’s, “SING OUT YOUR JOY TO GOD”, a piece from the “Joshua” oratorio, was the anthem for the Fifth Sunday. On the Sixth Sunday of Easter, also Mothers Day, we honored all women, as well as Pastors Peppler and Gohl, by singing J.S. Bach’s “NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD” for our offertory and concluded the service in chorus to “THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU” with the “SEVEN-FOLD AMEN” in finale. The choir continues to look into God’s Word for clues as to how WE can faithfully spread the Good News of Eastertide, via song, throughout Epiphany Lutheran’s worshippers. May all of us pray and ponder about how, in our lives, we can “go out and tell” others about the freedom of the empty tomb, the wonder of meeting the risen Christ and the glory of being fulfilled by the presence of Christ’s Holy Spirit. Grace and Peace, VERNENE RODGERS LENZ
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